Kinston North Carolina Citizens heard the U.S. Department's views on non-partisan voting this week, which did not agree with Kinston's voters.  City Attorney Jim Cauley late Monday, acting Assistant Attorney General Loretta King stated "The elimination of party affiliation on the ballot will likely reduce the ablility of blacks to elect candidates of choice."  Under section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the DOJ must approve voting changes in selected states and communities such as those in Lenoir County to ensure such changes would not hinder minority voters.

King wrote that data from several prior elections in Kinston indicated that few black residents typically voted, and candidates who would appeal to the black community, often vote Democrat.  She states, "Black candidates will likely lose a significant amount of crossover votes due tot he high degree of racial polarization present in city elections."  In a non-partisan system, which the majority of North Carolina municipalities have, a primary election is not needed. 

B.J. Murphy, who will be the lone Republican candidate for Kinston mayor, said the Justice Department's decision was a "slap in the face" to the city voters who voted 2-1 in favor of non-partisan elections during a referendum last November.  "We're Kinstonians, we're Americans, we're not Democrats and Republicans," Murphy said.  "How many Democrats and Republicans does it take to fix a pothole?  The answer is none.  The reason why it's none is it doesn't matter.  City leaders fix potholes and protect the community." 

“We’re Kinstonians, we’re Americans, we’re not Democrats and Republicans,” Murphy said. “How many Democrats and Republicans does it take to fix a pothole? The answer is none. The reason why it’s none is it doesn’t matter. City leaders fix potholes and protect the community.”  Councitman Joe Tyson was the lone council memeber to vote against placing non-partisan voting on the November Ballot last August.  During the same council meeting, he also votede against a proposed resolution in favor of non-partisan elections because it had no provision for creating districts or wards."  Tyson contends wards or districts, which are used in Lenoir county commissioner and school board elections, would ensure minorities would win a seat on the council in the absence of partisan voting.

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KAREN HANDEL FOR  GEORGIA  GOVERNOR E-UPDATE:    

AUGUST 20th, 2009          

Obama's Justice Department Rules Against Non-Partisan Elections

President Obama's Justice Department has ruled that a city in North Carolina cannot have non-partisan elections because it makes it more difficult to elect their fellow Democrats. This is an incredible admission on the part of this administration, and you can read about it here.

This ruling comes on the heels of their decision that prohibits the state of Georgia from verifying the identity and citizenship of newly registered voters before they can vote in our elections.
Are you noticing a trend? It seems that whatever the situation - illegals casting votes or communities voting strictly on party lines - Obama's Department of Justice makes the call that best suits their liberal interests.